Can anxiety kill you?

cosette2024 @cosette2024

You're doing the first step, acknowledging it.
There are many options for dealing with anxiety / depression.

Sounds like this has been an ongoing issue, what have you tried? Have you talked to any professionals about it?

I have dealt with depression / anxiety most my life and taken advantages of multiple treatment options. The first was talking to my primary provider about it.

I have done self-help options, therapy and medications. All helped, but it was combination of things that brought the best results.

Weather your 18 / 58 or 67 like me, every age group brings different challenges. But I have made it through all of them.

As hard as it sounds, try to stay positive, even it is about small simple things.

Laurie

@cosette2024 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! Many of us go through anxiety in different stages of our lives, some anxiety seeming to be more severe at times than other times. What is it about being 58 that causes you anxiety? You are acknowledging it, and that is a great place to start. In fact, I would bet it may soften that anxiety just a bit, am I right?

As @roch Laurie mentioned, there are numerous ways to work with those feelings. Journaling a letter to your anxiety [having a "conversation" with it!], medication, talk therapy, exercise, healthy moderate diet can all help you, and often a combination seems to work best. You will find the right-for-you mix, even though it might take a bit of experimentation.

I look forward to hearing more from you.
Ginger

Thank you so much for replying. I tried self-medicating (don’t recommend it)
It’s really a long drawn out story, and it’s nice to know others are going through it too.
The only time I feel normal is when it gets so bad I have to take Lorazapam, but then I have worries about addiction. We shouldn’t have to live like this

Thank you Ginger,
There’s so much out there that I’ve tried, it comes on so suddenly and so acutely it’s hard to get a handle on it. I have a primary doctor, a psychiatrist and a psychologist. They keep telling me I’m very healthy, that it’s in my head.
But I still have the attacks. Thank you for taking the time to reply, and I hope to have more interaction with you and Laurie

@cosette2024 Perhaps you can take a close look at the details around those attacks. Is it when you are in a certain physical spot? A specific time of day? Around certain people? How long after taking prescribed medications? After eating? By keeping a log of when they occur, you might see a pattern. It's certainly worth a try to establish how to get a handle on it all. Have either your psychiatrist or psychologist offered any solutions that you may be able to incorporate?
Ginger

Hi,
Meditation, yoga, therapy. I do it all and I have meds, but the attacks usually happen when I think about the past. Right now I don’t have a support group around me and it seems the older you get the harder it is to make friends.
So here we are, wishing I didn’t have to deal with this.

@cosette2024 We're your support group as you need us to be. Maybe writing about your past, figuring out what triggers that anxiety, will be a beneficial thing? Moderate exercise to get the endorphins flowing.

Something that has worked for me when I get anxious at very inopportune times [okay, when is it ever the right time for anxiety!?] is to "self-talk". "I don't have time for this right now. This is not a good place/time. I'll just need to address this later..." And then do my best to shut down those feelings. By the time I allow myself to look at it all again, many times the magnitude has lessened enough to be manageable. Does this sound like something you could try?
Ginger

Thank you Ginger

During Covid I needed a release so I got exercise equipment, lost weight, felt great. My birthday comes and I got a shock to my system that I’m not 30 anymore (58)
I just keep thinking about my son, who is autistic, what will happen to him?
I also keep waiting for the things that I won’t be able to do anymore.
I think long enough and the anxiety comes flooding in.
How can I stop thinking about the eventuality?

How did you take control? You seem pretty centered.

I think to think through -- so called CBT -- is what Ginger seems to be kidding about as when she asks 'Anxiety, 'what is the right time for you to think about?'

This CBT is what got me thru with my anxiety attack that choked me before dawn over ten years ago, even tho I was offered but declined because I wanted to do it myself -- to think thru -- after all I was already well Grown-Up as in early 70s (now 80) Age must make us smarter -- often past our physical prime in 20s or 30s.
This is where your own CBT might help you with what is bothering about your "past" -- even when feeling anxious about your/your son's Future is legitimate.
What can be done about the future especially when you say you see no clear and acceptable solution?

This is where the issue becomes social not individual. In my case I see my future death an utter enigma -- even as I know what a good death might be. Like a Socrates's where he was surrounded by his well wishers.
Finally as you have said you too do not have friends and getting them is harder, let's not forget gen Z are the loneliest.
But how about finding out others in similar situations as yours? Even contacting Autism societies for leads?

For my part I work on finding friends almost full-time obsessively. At least two weekly What's the alternative?

I wish you comfort and health in your life.